More than 1,000 United Steelworkers at United Taconite in Eveleth and Hibbing Taconite plan to head back to the bargaining table next month in Duluth, the News Tribune reports. Both sides agreed to a contract extension that would keep the northern Minnesota plants operating after failing to reach a new deal by the Sept. 1 deadline.

Cliffs Natural Resources and the United Steelworkers union have agreed to keep negotiating past the September 1 expiration worker's current contracts, the Duluth News Tribune reports. Both sides have agreed to a short-term extension and employees will not strike. Negotiations with ArcelorMittal and U.S. Steel continue.

U.S. Steel Corp. said Sunday it has reached an agreement with the United Steelworkers union at MinnTac in Mountain Iron and KeeTac in Keewatin. U.S. Steel and the steelworkers union tentatively agreed on a three-year contract, which would cover 1,300 employees in Minnesota. Union members are expected to vote on the agreement in the next few weeks. But negotiations continue at two other companies with Iron Range mines – ArcelorMittal and Cliffs Natural Resources.

Union contracts at Hibbing Taconite and Union Taconite expire at midnight Friday night. The Steelworkers union is negotiating with Cliffs Natural Resources at talks underway in Pittsburgh. But labor leaders say a strikes are possible beginning Saturday and Cliffs says replacement workers are standing by.

The owner of two taconite plants in northern Minnesota, Cliffs Natural Resources, sent their team in charge of negotiating union worker's contracts home for the holiday weekend. Cliffs agreed to a short-term extension for current contracts with United Steelworkers Friday and the union decided they will not strike while negotiations continue.